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Six football fans die while celebrating AFCON victory
At least six Guinean supporters tragically lost their lives while commemorating their country’s inaugural triumph at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
According to reports, the Guinean Football Federation, Feguifoot, confirmed the sad incident to BBC on Monday.
“Regretting the unfortunate incident which happened during the jubilant festivities in Conakry, the capital of Guinea,” Feguifoot media manager, Amadou Makadji, said the exuberant fans expressed their joy by parading through the streets in cars and motorcycles.
Recall that Guinea emerged triumphant with a 1-0 victory over The Gambia in their second group match in Ivory Coast on Friday night, igniting a wave of joyous celebrations across the entire West African nation.
Unfortunately, a joyous event went sour for the country’s football fans after the tragic accident.
Commenting on the incident, Makadji said, “What is important is that our fans and the public celebrate in a very measured fashion,”
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“They have to be very careful not to put themselves in danger because the goal of football is to bring joy and not leave families bereaved. We do not want deaths to be mourned, so we call on everyone to celebrate but to take care of themselves so that nothing happens to them.
“Guinea is a country where people are very, very passionate about football, and they experience football like nowhere else in the world,” He added.
Guinea secured the second position in Group C with four points courtesy of a goal scored by Aguibou Camara.
The country is currently two points behind the reigning champions Senegal but three points ahead of Cameroon, who are in third place and have won the tournament five times.
On the other hand, the Gambians are at the bottom of the group with just one point.
However, while commenting on the latest incident, one of the star players in the Guinea side, Pascal Feindouno, said: “I have a message to send to Guinean men and women,” the 42-year-old, who played at four Nations Cups, told the BBC in Yamoussoukro, where the team are based.
“Rest assured that we will do something at the Nations Cup, but we have learned something that will destabilise us. We learned there were deaths after the victory against The Gambia. We want this to stop because we are here to defend the colours of the country.
“Everything is going well for us at the moment, so support the country but don’t do anything to kill each other or oneself. Stay calm – thank you,” Feindouno added.
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